The Taste of Winter
by LooneyZampy
Summary: A collection of Bolin/Eska one-shots, of various lengths and belonging to various genres, with glimpses into the lives of the Krew and in those of the twins. CHAPTER WITH NUKTUK UPDATED :D
1. Hearts on the Deck

**A/N: Book 2 of Legend of Korra had that one awesome ship that deserves more fanfics dedicated to it. So I decided to make a collection of one-shots centering around Bolin and Eska ^^**

**As I said in the summary, these fics will be of various lengths and of various genres. I decided to open the ball with a rather short and extremely fluffy story x))**

**Let me know your thoughts through the review button and stay tuned for more Boleska chapters! **

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**Title: Hearts on the Deck**

**Words: 741**

**Genre: Humor/Romance/FLUFF**

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_**Hearts on the Deck**_

"Chocolate toffees for my special darling girl!" screamed Bolin at Eska, handing her the biggest heart-shaped box of chocolates that she has ever seen.

He had asked her to come alone on the deck of her ship at 9PM sharp. So that day, Eska had first dragged him towards the ship and then all throughout the place to show him to all her guards and to tell them that he is with her and that they shall let him on the ship that night. Some of them already knew him as her boyfriend, others knew him as "that poor boy that the twins use for their personal amusement", but now, all of them should know him as the guy that they could always allow in her ship.

Eska came on the deck at nine hours sharp. Bolin was already there, waiting. When he saw her approaching, his whole face turned into a big smile and he gave her the box of chocolates.

"It is very nice of you, Bolin", she said calmly, taking the box. "Come and join me on the bench."

She turned around without waiting for him to follow and walked towards the big white bench where they could sit. When she sat on it and put the chocolate box next to her, she saw Bolin scratching the back of his head nervously.

"I, uh... I also have something else for you..." he said.

Bolin slid a hand in his pocket and took out a heart-shaped rock. It had "B + E" engraved in it. When Eska took the rock in her hands, she was surprised that the general surface of the rock was as smooth as if it had been polished. Yet, upon closer inspection, the stone was full of thin engravings, intricate motives representing hearts, hearts within hearts and hearts intertwining with other hearts. Those engravings were so small and delicate that they would be unnoticed if seen from distance. Only the "B + E" were deeply carved in the middle of the stone. Even the letters were ornate, engraved with such skill that she would never have expected it from someone who has not been trained in stone-carving schools.

"Do you like it? I made it myself! Bolin's cheeks suddenly turned a bright red. "I know it's not a big deal, but..."

"I like it."

Bolin chuckled at her response. Eska offered him a small smile. She really did like the present. Bolin was an earthbender and he told her all about the life that he had lived up till then. She would never expect any sort of refinement from an earthbender coming from the dumps of a crime-ridden city, but yet, this rock looked like a perfect representation of artistic mastery. He was talented, Eska thought to herself. She smiled once again, as well as she could. When she closed her eyes, she could imagine herself standing up and walking closer to Bolin, the carved rock still in her hands. She would lightly raise her head and look him in the eye. She would then close her eyes and kiss him. That way, she could express all the gratitude that she felt for the gift. That was the way it was supposed to happen to romantic people. In real life, however, Eska had no idea how to do that. So she just stood there awkwardly, holding the carved heart in both her hands. She clutched it to her breast.

"Thank you Bolin," she said coldly.

She then did the only thing that she was more or less able to do, and which could more or less compare with what she pictured in her imagination a fraction of second earlier: she stood up and walked closer to Bolin, their bodies almost touching. When he put his hand on her elbow, she bumped into his chest with her own and slammed her head in his shoulder. She was still holding her rock near her breast with both hands, and when Bolin put his arms around her, it felt as an actual hug. It felt good. She expected Bolin to be taken aback by her inability to be tender and she feared that he would take a step back and leave her standing. But Bolin was kind. He would always make her feel at peace with herself. So she smiled in his shoulder, a smile he would not even see, and she felt happy.


	2. Icy Bliss

**A/N: I don't know if it's really wise to jump from a very sweet and light story to a darker one so abruptly, but here we are! This one-shot is "a bit" angstier than the previous one and is mainly Eska-centric, focusing on her thoughts. Tell me what you think!  
**

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**Title: Icy Bliss**  
**Words: 541**  
**Genre: Angst/Romance/_Fluff?  
_**

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_**Icy Bliss**_

There was a time when Eska thought that Bolin would come with her to the North. They would get married and live happily ever after. Little did she know that Bolin would run away at the first occasion... But then he came back. He came back to fight her. And during the battle, tables had turned more than once. One moment, they opposed each other, fighting for different causes; the other one, they were firing at the same target. She remembered hearing Bolin saying that he loves her. She remembered a kiss. A kiss that melted the ice which had kept the two brothers imprisoned. For one moment, she thought that they would spend an eternity together.

Soon enough, however, it was time to go back to reality. She had no right to drag Bolin to the North with her against his will. She had learned a little bit too well that you cannot impose your own desires onto other people, if it makes them unhappy. Bolin too had wanted to take her with him, to Republic City, she remembered. Had she gone with him then, she and Desna would now be with the Avatar, accompanying her on her adventures. But Eska's responsibilities lay in the North. And so in the North she shall dwell.

Bolin sometimes came to her in her dreams. She would see him walking through the mist, reaching out to her, then suddenly, turning into a statue of ice and melt away. Eska would wake with a jump, oftentimes waking up Desna with her. She had sobbed in her brother's arms more than once. He was the only one who knew, who really knew, everything that happened. He was the only one to know how the story had started, all the hardships that Eska and Bolin went through, as well as the only one to understand. He was the one to which Eska could talk when things became too hard. He was the one to dry her tears when she would wake up sobbing, knowing that she could wait a lifetime, and that Bolin would never come back to her.

But one day, Bolin _did_ come to the North Pole. At first, her mother and the guards were panicked. They said that a stranger had arrived and that he demanded to see the princess. They said that they could not hold him any longer, that he was screaming Eska's name, claiming that his desire to see her was greater than any strain that they would put on him. And so they opened the gate. As soon as a little red animal entered the throne room, Eska knew who the visitor was. And when he entered, he was even more beautiful than what she remembered. Upon seeing Eska, Bolin fell on his knees and asked if she would have him. He was holding a betrothal necklace in the colors that were not those of the Northern Water Tribe, but inspired by his own heritage. He promised that he will never leave again and said that he will stay with her forever. And so they lived for years to come, together, in icy bliss.

It was a nice dream, but nonetheless, Eska cried when she woke up.

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**A/N: Ooookay, this one was a bit dark... But fun to write, though! I hope it was at least half as fun to reac x)**

**The next fic will be loads lighter, being of the humor/parody genre, so stay tuned ^^**

_**LooneyZampy loves you ~**_


	3. Nuktuk, Hero of the South

**A/N: this one-shot was literally _begging_ to be written xD**

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**Title: Nuktuk, Hero of the South**

**Words: 741**

**Genre: humor/parody/poetry**

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_**Nuktuk, Hero of the South  
**_

In the Southern Water Tribe, a civil war was raging. All communication with the rest of the world was cut and Eska and Desna had had little knowledge of what was happening in other places.

In Republic City, Bolin was a mover star.

In the Southern Water Tribe, the population did not know that Varrick was making propaganda movies. They did not know that the main hero of those movies was supposed to be from the South, and that he was fighting against the _evil_ Unalaq.

In Republic City, Bolin's face was plastered on a number of posters.

_And one of the posters flew in the air.  
And a bird-like creature took it in its beak.  
And soared with its flock for a certain distance.  
But the angry winds crossed them and blew the paper away._

_And the paper ended in a box._  
_And the box ended on a boat._  
_And the boat was riding to the south._  
_But before it reached the coast,_  
_Unalaq's troops stopped it all._

_The boat was forced to turn away_  
_And go back to from where it came._  
_And during the bickering, the box fell in the hands of the Northern troops._  
_Who tossed it away when they saw its content._

In the Southern Water Tribe, Eska and Desna would sometimes play around the sea. Their father was too busy with his obsession of ruling the world, so Eska and Desna had more time and more freedom than usual. Hence they would go and practice their bending by the icy shore or swim in the chillingly cold water. That day, Eska and Desna disobeyed their father's command to not approach the battle ships. That day, they wanted to see how deep beneath the surface of the ocean they could go and how close to the ships they might come without being discovered.

Despite the northern army, the two teenagers managed to get a tad too close to the battle ships. A box flew over a deck and almost hit Desna's head. The twins dived back to the depths of the southern sea, quick as arrows. So quickly that the box found itself caught in the wave that they created and it followed them up till the shore. When the twins ended up back on solid ice and waterbent the water out of their hair and their clothes, they noticed the box floating near them.

"Eska... Is this box the same one that almost hit me?" asked Desna.

"It seems so. I wonder what it holds..."

"It's very light," said Desna picking up the box from the water.

The twins forged sharp knives of ice in a matter of moments and opened the box. The first one to peek inside was Desna. He only needed to glance inside the box to start rolling his eyes and face-palm himself.

"Dear Eska, your taste is exquisite." he said ironically, before turning away to play with the water and think about his place in the universe.

Eska peeked inside the box and her reaction was entirely different.

The box contained only one thing, and that one thing made all the blood in Eska's body swirl. Inside the box was a poster of Bolin in a very skimpy outfit. The top of the poster wore the title "NUKTUK, HERO OF THE SOUTH". Eska's blood shot towards her face in such a rush that she was sure that it was going to come out of her nose in an embarrassing red stream. Her cheeks were burning, her heart racing, she was internally giggling and her head felt faint.

"Desna...?" she called.

"Yes, Eska?"

"Bolin is hot."

Desna grunted. Eska lowered her eyes on the poster once again.

"Desna... I want Bolin." she said firmly.

"You want Bolin, father wants the Avatar, does anybody care about what _I_ want?" Desna asked, frustrated.

"I shall get my Bolin. The Avatar shall come to father on her own. What are your desires? Speak and we can make them come true."

By the cold sea of the Southern Water Tribe, Desna spent a couple moments thinking, finger in his mouth, and then it came to him. He turned towards his sister, wearing the smile of a man who knows what he wants on his face. He knew that he could say his desires out loud and that his sister would always support his decision:

"Eska... I too want Nuktuk's outfit."


End file.
